Many Lowell-area schools have already beefed up security

The flag at the Reilly Elementary School in Lowell was at half-staff Monday out of respect to the victims of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn. on Friday. SUN/JULIA MALAKIE

Schools across Greater Lowell have increased security in recent years by adding surveillance cameras, putting school-resource officers on staff and conducting emergency drills, but officials said it still may have not been enough to avoid a tragedy like the Connecticut school shooting on Friday. "Let's be perfectly frank," said John O'Connor, superintendent for Tewksbury's schools. "A surveillance system is not going to stop an intruder."

According to state police investigating the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in which 26 people were killed, the shooter, Adam Lanza, forced his way into the school.

Massachusetts school administrators and public-safety officials meet regularly to discuss what measures are in place and how they could be improved, said local superintendents.

Security cameras and staff training play a big part in preparedness, they said.

Students and staff participate in school drills where soft lockdowns and hard lockdowns are instituted. During the latter, everyone is instructed to hide from windows and doors, and avoid all incidents with an intruder.

Some superintendents said they would step up security, at least temporarily.

One possible safety solution may be to more aggressively work toward identifying potential warning signs, said Mary Jo Santoro, the superintendent of the Greater Lowell Technical High School in Tyngsboro. She said students are often the first to know when a student may be acting differently. A greater understanding of warning signs is already under way with anti-bullying initiatives, Santoro said.

Advertisement

In Tewksbury, school issues are disclosed immediately to parents and brought to the attention of the school psychologist, O'Connor said.

Columbine effect

Schools have ramped up security in recent years, a result of the Columbine school shooting in Colorado in 1999 in which 13 people were killed.

When Nashoba Valley Technical High School underwent extensive renovations a few years later, security cameras were installed "just about everywhere," Superintendent Judith Klimkiewicz said. The building has only two doors open in the morning, and both are staffed by administrators. Exterior doors have alarms, and security camera feeds are watched by administrators throughout the day, she said.

"I can tell you, our staff is exceedingly well-prepared," Klimkiewicz said. "I think since Columbine we all had a wake-up call."

In Lowell, police increased security at schools on Friday and may continue higher staffing levels for at least a few days, Superintendent Jean Franco said. The schools will also ensure that support systems are in place for students who have questions or concerns following the Connecticut incident, she said.

Franco said she's also been in touch with staff to re-examine safety measures to make sure schools are as secure as possible.

In Chelmsford, the high school and Byam and South Row elementary schools have security cameras, and others will be added to the remaining schools, Superintendent Frank Tiano said. Psychologists and counselors are on staff at all the schools, and they meet regularly with teachers, he said. General security measures are continuously tweaked.

A continuing challenge

The school leaders acknowledged that no safety protocols could guarantee against an incident like in Newtown.

"We've gone to great lengths over the years to make our buildings more secure," O'Connor said. "That's not going to stop someone. We do not build fortresses, we build public buildings."

Lowell Police Superintendent Ken Lavallee echoed how difficult it is to predict and anticipate the unpredictable.

"If someone is hellbent on attacking a soft target, like we've seen before at the Sikh Temple or the cinema in Aurora, it's tough to say there's a foolproof plan to stop them," said Lavallee, who indicated the Police Department would sit down with school administrators soon after the new year to further examine protective measures.

Lowell High School, as well as some Lowell middle schools, already have armed school resource officers (SRO's) on site.

"The dynamic changed after Columbine," said Lavallee. "There's no longer a 'wait for the S.W.A.T. team philosophy.' If there's an active shooter, he's going to be met with force from law enforcement as quickly as possible."

In an automated call to parents and staff on Saturday, Westford School Superintendent Everett "Bill" Olsen said building principals planned to meet Monday morning, while Police Chief Thomas McEnaney will be meeting with administrators to discuss what happened at Sandy Hook and what can be learned.

"There are just some things you can't stop, unfortunately," said Timothy Piwowar, the superintendent in Billerica, which only a week before the Connecticut shooting held a staff crisis-management training session. The school district was just approved for funding for additional security cameras by Town Meeting this fall.

On Monday, Superintendent Don Ciampa and other Tyngsboro school administrators met with Lt. Rich Howe, Lt. Chris Chronopoulos and resource officer Steve Manning to discuss ways to improve the school system's collaboration with the Tyngsboro Police Department. Topics included the constant monitoring of perimeter doors, increased police presence during arrival and dismissal, and updates to the city's STARS (School Threat Assessment and Response System).

Many schools reached out to parents late Friday to express their sadness and condolences, as well as to assure that safety is a top priority.

"It is important to shield the children from the media coverage as it is a main focus on the airwaves this weekend," said Sharon Kennelly, the principal of the John A. Crisafulli Elementary School in Westford, who also emailed parents helpful links in managing stress in children after such an incident.

Also receiving recorded phone calls this past weekend were parents of the Hudson, N.H., and Dracut Public School Districts, among others.

"In the wake of the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, I wanted to assure all families that each of our schools has an emergency plan to deal with various situations that may arise," said Hudson Superintendent of Schools Bryan Lane. "These procedures are reviewed throughout the school year, and each building will review them this week."

Dracut schools Superintendent Steven Stone began meeting with staff on Friday to discuss a district-response strategy and counseling. Parents received calls from principals informing them that student counseling would be available and that a thorough schoolbuilding security review will take place within the district.

Dracut School Committee Chairman Michael McNamara, who is also a retired former longtime elementary-school principal, expressed skepticism about any school security plan being 100 percent effective, however.

"It's almost as if each one of these is worse than the one before," said McNamara. "It's unbelievable. What is going to be next? You just can't predict anything like this, that a classroom of very young students would be savaged in the way that they were. It's not just a school problem, it's a society problem - and it can happen anywhere."

In a statement released to Pelham school parents and residents Sunday night, Police Chief Joseph Roark promised an "additional police presence" in the school district this week, besides Pelham's regular school resource-officer patrols.

"We will also be looking to review, test and improve our existing school-security protocols," said Roark.

Follow Grant Welker at Twitter.com/SunGrantWelker.

Sun staff reporters John Collins and Pete McQuaid also contributed to this report.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.